We were inspired by this hilarious New Yorker article by Patricia Marx, who embarked on a three-week-long freighter cruise as it "galumph[ed] across the sea" from the U.S. to Hamburg, Germany. If galumphing sounds right up your shipping lane, then take heed. Freighter cruises offer little in the way of luxury—most cargo ships were never intended to take on passengers—but they do offer the opportunity to see unique ports of call on unusually long journeys (some as many as 130 days at sea). Ships don't often come equipped with Internet and may only have one satellite phone (meaning sushi buffets and lido decks are but distant dreams). However, you'll have plenty of time for uninterrupted R&R while aboard a working cargo ship, and since the passenger lists average four to 12, seeing another soul is rare.